Many life vests and personal flotation devices have been developed in the past, all of which generally have the same common purpose of keeping a wearer afloat in a body of water. However, many existing personal flotation devices are intended for, or at least best suited for use by, adults. Thus, many so-called children's personal flotation devices are often merely scaled-down versions of larger adult personal flotation devices, and therefore are not purpose designed for the needs for such small infants.
Some attempts have been made to provide a personal flotation device that is suited for children. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,786 issued May 18, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,153 issued Jul. 9, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,114 issued Jun. 16, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,967 issued Jul. 7, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,348 issued Sep. 14, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,353 issued Sep. 10, 2002; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,266 issued Jun. 24, 2003, all disclose various personal flotation device designs intended for use by children. However, these designs all have various constraints and/or weaknesses for which improvement is desired.
Accordingly, an improved personal flotation device particularly suited to infants is sought.